Christmas at the Hub
by BaOgden
Summary: It's Christmas at the Hub, and luckily the only thing everyone has to worry about is who to buy a Christmas present for. This is following my previous entries. I DO NOT OWN TORCHWOOD.
1. Chapter 1

Owen woke up that morning feeling the happiest he had ever felt since he had died... His evening out with Gwen for drinks last night went very well in his opinion, and hurried to get into work that morning. He was desperate to see her.

'Only a week until Christmas, babe!' Rhys' voice woke Gwen up. She was always grumpy when she was woken up, always had been.

'What?' she asked him, rubbing her eyes. Rhys looked so excited. He always was around Christmas. It was sweet, really.

'A week to Christmas! I hope you've been doing your Christmas shopping!' Rhys said, practically bouncing on the bed. Gwen couldn't help but laugh.

'No actually, I haven't', she confessed. Rhys pretended to look angry but then just laughed.

'Well, you'd better get a move on, girl. I'm expecting something good with all this money you're getting from 'Torchwood'' he said 'Torchwood' in a mimicky way as if it was some stupid posh drink.

'You'll have to wait and see' she smiled, and got out of bed.

Ianto was the first person in work - besides Jack - as usual, as he had to make everyone's breakfast and cups of tea for when they arrived, but Owen was in earlier than usual.

'Tea boy' Owen nodded to Ianto when he walked in.

'I wish you wouldn't keep calling me that. I've moved on from being just your tea boy ages ago' Ianto told him whilst frying some eggs. 'And you can't even _drink_ tea anymore!'

Owen wasn't listening. 'Gwen not here yet?' Owen asked, looking around. Ianto looked up, suspiciously.

'It's not even 7 yet.. No one is here for about another fifteen minutes.. why are you here so early?'

'Well, you know.. it's not like I've got anything else to do. Weren't you wearing that suit yesterday?' Owen asked, suddenly paying attention to Ianto.

Ianto looked shifty, 'uhh, it's a suit. They all look the same..'

'I'm aware of that, but there's a stain on it that's been there since yesterday morning.. right there on the shoulder' Owen stated.

Just then Jack walked in, stopping the conversation and saving Ianto from making up some awful lie.

'Ah, Owen. You're here early, aren't you?' Jack asked, picking up a piece of toast and biting into it. Ianto couldn't keep his eyes off of Jack. He then snapped out of it and continued putting sugars in everyone's teas.

A few minutes later the doors burst open and Owen span straight around, realised it was Tosh and turned back around again.

_Charming_, Tosh thought.

She could walk again now, and had made a speedy recovery since her incident with a gun.

'Wow, who would have known what happened to you two weeks ago', Jack smiled at her. Tosh couldn't help staring at his beautiful face, and she could have sworn his teeth glinted as he smiled, like they do in cartoons.

'Thankyou, Jack. I feel great.' She walked through the kitchen and into the main part of the Hub, putting her jacket on her chair and started doing something on her computer.

Gwen entered shortly after, and Owen span round as soon as she did. 'Alright?' she said generally, and sat on a stool to start her breakfast. Ianto and Jack drank their tea and flirted quietly.

'So, Gwen, I had a really good time last night' Owen started. Gwen smiled and bit into her toast.

'Me too' she said whilst chewing.

Behind them, Ianto was feeding Jack a sausage.

'So, there's really no reason for anyone to be here today. Surprisingly, nothing out of the ordinary has grabbed attention. Haha, maybe the aliens celebrate Christmas, too', Jack chuckled.

Gwen had just noticed that the Hub was decorated with Christmas decorations. A Christmas tree was stood just off the centre of the Hub and tinsel was spun around the large pole that was stood in the middle.

'This is depressing.. I usually get pissed at Christmas. Now I can't..' Owen said.

'I love Christmas' Ianto said, smiling at Jack.

Tosh stood up 'maybe we should do secret Santa this year!'

'Oh, that reminds me! I need to do my Christmas shopping' Gwen remembered. 'As there's nothing to do here...' she began.

'I'll let you know if anything comes up' Jack told her as she finished her tea and got up quickly, heading for the doors. 'I'll see you later!' she shouted to everyone.

'Yeah, I've got stuff to do, too.. See you' Owen said, leaving.

'No one's prepared.. I did my Christmas shopping weeks ago' Tosh told Ianto and Jack. Jack shrugged.

Ianto finished his breakfast. 'Me too' Ianto said.

'What'cha yet me?' Jack asked, smiling at Ianto.

'It's not Christmas, yet, Jack. I can't tell you.' They both went into Jack's office, where Ianto realised there was mistletoe above them. Jack shut the door. He then held Ianto in a tight embrace and kissed him passionately.


	2. Chapter 2

Gwen had forgotten how packed the shopping centres were during Christmas. It was a week away and it was as if it was tomorrow. The sound of Paul McCartney's 'Wonderful Christmas Time' and the low buzzing of shopper's frantic voices filled Gwen's ears. She groaned as she had to dodge practically every person she came into contact with. She was so used to rushing because of work and she'd forgotten she had the day off. Of course then she realised, what the hell was she going to get everyone? She had no idea what would be any use to anyone.

_I could always get Tosh some jewellery_, she thought, as the nearest jewellery shop caught her eye. But what was she going to get Jack? Hang on, what about _Rhys? _This was just becoming a disaster, and she was considering just going home and telling everyone some terrible excuse about why she couldn't get anyone a present.. _Sorry everybody, I don't have any presents for you because an alien ate them all. _Although that sounded too much like the 'dog ate my homework' fiasco she had used when she was younger - apparently she wasn't the first to come up with _that_ one..

She thought she'd return to the Hub before she retreated home for the night, and when she arrived, everyone was there.

'Gwen, did you manage to get everyone a present?' Tosh asked her, looking up from her computer and smiling. Gwen was quite pleased with what she'd managed to get for everyone in the end. A beautiful silver bracelet for Tosh, a dashing bright blue tie for Ianto, a mirror for Jack (she found this quite amusing), although it came with a handle which she thought would be quite helpful, and a couple of CDs for Owen. He was the most difficult to buy for as she couldn't go with her original idea which was beer, as he was dead - and apparently dead people can't drink beer. She thought he'd appreciate it as listening to music is one of the things he actually can do. Rhys she'd bought clothes for, and a few DVDs that he'd mentioned he wanted. 'Yeah, thanks.. eventually' Gwen replied.

'I still can't believe you left it this late..' Tosh continued.

'Give the girl a break' Owen said from where he was sat at the table in the boardroom, fiddling with some gizmo that was faulty.

'Did Tosh tell you?' Ianto asked Gwen, walking in from the kitchen eating a biscuit, looking quite celebratory.

'No, what?' she asked.

'According to Tosh's calculations, the rift won't be active for the next few days, which leaves us with Christmas off' Ianto smiled, taking another bite of his biscuit.

'That'll be a first' Owen said.

'That's great!' Gwen smiled. 'My first Christmas with Torchwood and there looks like no trouble in sight.'

'So we thought we'd throw a party', Jack said, putting his hand around Ianto.

'Sounds great', Gwen giggled, turning round to look at Tosh, who was also beaming. She too, was excited. 'Can I bring Rhys?'

'Sure, the more the merrier', Jack said, then looking at Ianto. 'Wow, I feel like Santa Claus', he added, retreating to his office, Ianto following him.

'You could get a costume..' Ianto started as they walked off.

It was Christmas Eve now, 6 o'clock on the evening. 'What should I wear?' Gwen asked Rhys, frantically looking through all of her clothes in the wardrobe, dismissing everything she laid eyes on. Rhys was jumping up and down trying to put his left sock on.

'We're not going to see the Queen, babe.. We're just going to a Christmas party.. what's all the fuss about?' he asked her, almost out of breath from jumping so much.

'I just want to look nice.. you know', she replied, her eyes lighting up as she found something that she actually liked. It was a black dress that went just above the knee. 'And I've got shoes to match..' she murmured to herself.

The clock hit 6.15 and Gwen was ready... waiting for Rhys to find his car keys. 'I don't see why I have to drive, you know..' he was nattering on, going in and out of rooms to find them.

'Yeah, yeah', Gwen said as she was taking a quick glance of herself in the mirror before they left.

'Aha!' Rhys exclaimed. 'Got the buggers!'.

When they arrived, everyone was there. Ianto wearing as usual, a stunning suit, with a tie with Christmas trees on it, looking slightly embarrassed, like a little boy being made to wear pink shoes. Tosh was wearing a pretty purple strapless dress, Owen wearing a shirt and jeans and Jack, much to Gwen's amusement, wearing a Santa Claus costume. He caught Gwen looking and walked over, waving to her and Rhys as he noticed them. 'You both look stunning' he winked at Gwen.

'Nice costume' Gwen giggled.

'Ianto insisted.. I had to wear this if I made him wear the tie.. Although I think that's just a ruse.'

There were presents under the tree and music was playing, the boardroom table was covered in snacks and drinks. Everyone was really enjoying themselves. Ianto may have had a bit too much to drink, and towards the end of the night, his tie had somehow ended up around his head. He even did a little dance - although that was mainly for Jack.

'Gwen' Owen said, walking over to her. Rhys was over by the food, talking to Tosh about chicken. 'Merry Christmas'.

'Merry Christmas', Gwen replied. 'Well.. in an hour's time.' Owen laughed.

'Look.. I know it's not much, but.. I mean, it's Christmas..' Owen got a poorly wrapped present from behind his back and held it with both hands out to Gwen.

'Oh, Owen.. you shouldn't have..' she started.

'Yeah, well..' he couldn't find any words to say. Neither could Gwen, so she gave him a hug.. which lasted quite a long time.

'Thankyou' she finally said.

'You're welcome.'

Tosh had noticed at this point and came over slowly. 'It isn't midnight yet' she told them both, a smile followed.

'Haha, good point. Although..' Gwen rummaged around in her bag she was carrying, which she was partly self-conscious about as a previous comment mentioning 'Santa's sack' had been running through her mind all evening. _Bloody Jack,_ she thought.

'Here', she got out two presents, which were wrapped considerably better than Owen's. She gave one to Owen and one to Tosh.

'Thankyou, i'll open it tomorrow morning' she beamed, then they both turned to Owen who had already finished ripping his open.

He nodded. 'Cheers, Gwen. It must have taken you ages to decide what to actually get me.. food and beer were off the table'.

Gwen laughed.

For the rest of that evening Gwen noticed Owen looking it her a lot, but decided not to mention it. When the clock hit midnight everyone kissed (Jack and Ianto for several minutes) and then everyone began to say their goodbyes, as they realised Ianto and Jack were too drunk to notice anyone else's presence.


	3. Chapter 3

It was Christmas morning and surprisingly Gwen was the first to wake up. She was wondering all night what Owen had gotten her.. she didn't think he did presents. What really woke her up, though, was the sound of a bear growling in her ear. Or was it Rhys.. in her opinion, there was no difference.

'Rhys. Rhys!' There was a large snore and then he awoke abruptly.

'What? What is it?' he said, startled, looking round the room frantically.

'You were snoring..' Gwen said, staring into space, her head on the pillow. Rhys relaxed then, knowing that there was no trouble. And let his head fall back on the pillow.

'Starting Christmas day with a hangover.. great' he said as he smacked himself on the head a few times to wake himself up.

The thought of it being Christmas day created a huge grin on Gwen's face. She jumped out of bed and ran out to the lounge, feeling a lot like a child.

There was a small pile of presents under the tree, unfortunately she recognised most of them as being Rhys'. Gwen started ripping open the ones with her name on them - she knew they were from Rhys. She recognised his scruffy handwriting. 'This top is gorgeous! Thanks babe' she said, holding up against herself.

Rhys smiled as he walked into the kitchen to pour them both some tea.

Gwen was looking at the present from Owen sat under the tree. It stood out like a firework in a clear, empty sky. _Although the sky is the exact opposite of empty, _she said to herself. She went for it, grabbed the present, looking over her shoulder to check if Rhys was there, and ripped it open. It was a small box. She opened it and inside was a beautiful necklace with a purple pearl as the charm. Gwen's mouth fell open. At that moment Rhys walked in. Gwen hastily stuffed the gift inside her pyjama bottoms pocket. 'Get anything nice?' Rhys asked her as he sipped his tea loudly.

'No.. but I loved the perfume you got me' Gwen said.

'You're welcome', he smiled, joining Gwen on the floor beside the Christmas tree.

Much to Rhys' annoyance, Gwen decided to pop into the Hub to thank everyone for the presents they got her - and to thank Tosh on Rhys' behalf for the Christmas-themed socks she had got him -. 'But babe, it's Christmas _day_', Rhys moaned at her as she was putting her jacket on.

'I'm sorry, but I have to say thankyou, it's rude not to.'

'You can thank them tomorrow!'

'I won't be long.. they'll all be there.'

When Gwen arrived, everyone was sat around the boardroom table, chatting, some ribbon and glitter on the top of it. Owen turned round to look at Gwen.

'Hi everyone, how are the hangovers?' she asked as she pulled up a chair.

'Merry Christmas!' Tosh said. 'And I don't have one.. I drank two pints of water before I went to bed last night.'

'You only had two glasses of wine', Owen retorted. He was grumpy, he missed hangovers.

'You're just grumpy because you can't drink anymore', Ianto chimed in. Owen glared at him.

'That's what Christmas is for.. getting pissed. And bloody New Year is next and I can drink fuck all.'

'So, d'you like your presents?' Jack changed the subject to Gwen. 'What did you get?' It took a while for Gwen to answer because she noticed a tiny bit of.. _was it lipstick?_ On the corner of Jack's mouth. Gwen's eyes turned to Ianto, who also had _pink_ lippy on, too. 'Uh, Ianto..' Gwen started, but Ianto had already noticed Gwen's eyes trace his lips, and quickly retreated out of the room.

'Uhh, you know, just clothes and that..' Gwen and Owen's eyes met for a brief second, and then he looked away.

'What about you lot?' she asked everyone.

'Well I got a lovely bracelet, actually', Tosh smiled at Gwen, who returned it. 'Thank you.'

Gwen smiled back. 'No problem. Rhys says thanks for the socks, by the way.'

'He's very welcome. They had his name just written all over them.'

Gwen laughed. 'So, what else did you get?' she asked.

'Well, Ianto got me this beautiful classical music CD that I've been talking about for ages!' Tosh continued. 'And Owen..' she began, looking at him sternly.

'I told you, I don't do presents', Owen grumbled. He wasn't taking this no-drinking, no-eating thing very well. Or no shagging..

Tosh raised her eyebrows, then looked at Jack. 'Thankyou for the book' she said to him gratefully. He nodded in return, eyes closed, with a smile.

Ianto returned suddenly, his lips red - obviously from scrubbing the remainder of the lipstick off.

'Ianto, what did you get?' Gwen asked him, holding back a smile. He looked up, surprised.

'Oh, err, well Tosh got me some jazzy socks with penguins on them' he started.

'Aahh' Gwen smiled. 'Cute. And Jack?' Ianto and Jack looked startled.

'Errr..' Ianto began. Jack looked slightly amused.

'Anyway, that's enough of that. Let's talk work', Jack changed the subject. 'Tomorrow the rift activity should be back to normal again, so I want all of you in normal time, got it?' Everyone nodded.

Tosh, Jack and Ianto went off to do their own thing shortly after that. Owen was sat on the chair, still sulking. He looked up at Gwen, smiled for a second, then it dropped straight away. How fake.

'Owen, I need to talk to you?' Gwen began. She wasn't sure if that was a question or a statement.

'Oh yeah? About what?' he asked her.

'What was the present you got me all about?' she asked him.

'What do you mean? It was a present.'

'I thought you didn't do presents.' Gwen raised her eyebrow.

Owen looked sheepish, but hid it well. 'Okay, fine. I saw it and thought "that's so Gwen" bought it and voilà. Done. There you go.' He paused for a bit, and when no one said anything he walked off to get some un-needed work done.

As much as Gwen wanted to stay and question him on everything, she decided she'd better not. Besides, Rhys was waiting for her at home, and it was Christmas day after all. She said goodbye to everyone, gave one last suspicious look at Owen, who didn't look up, and left.


End file.
